You Can Trust Me
by marcoandjenny4Ever
Summary: Jenny is having a difficult time since the whole incident with Andy. Is she okay enough to even trust her own boyfriend? Chapter 9 done R
1. Chapter 1

**You Can Trust Me**

Jenny came walking down the hall when she looked up and smiled. The handsome face of her boyfriend Marco stared back at her.

"Hey baby" Marco said smirking as he approached Jenny and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Hey babe" Jenny said, returning the kiss. "How was your day?"

"Ugh…it sucked! I was away from you all day!" Marco smiled as he pulled her in for another kiss.

"Uh huh" Jenny playfully said but still returning the kiss very quickly.

Both walked hand in hand down the hall and out the door. "So what will it be tonight? Dinner at my dad's restaurant? Movie?" Marco suggested.

"Umm how about a movie? More make-out opportunity" Jenny smirked as she looked up at her boyfriend.

"You know I'm always up for make out" Marco laughed as he held Jenny closed to him. The two walked until they reached Mr. Garrison's apartment.

"So I'll pick you up around 7:00?"

"Sounds perfect!" The couple shared a kiss before going separate ways.

After the movie had ended, Marco and Jenny came out of the theater holding hands and talking about the movie. After they had gotten half way to the apartment, Marco stopped and Jenny turned around to face him.

"What's the matter?" Jenny asked, worried.

"Spend the night with me." Marco said quickly. Jenny was taken aback by what her boyfriend had just asked her.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jenny asked again, hoping for a clear explanation.

"I want us to spend the night together" Marco said again, standing his ground on the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"Marco I…." not knowing what to say, Jenny just stared at the ground. She had always been a little hesitant about this topic, she knew Marco was going to bring it up eventually but she was hoping it would be later when she was ready.

It had only been a couple months since the incident with Andy, a former PA student who had tried to take advantage of Jenny. It had been so bad that Jenny was worried about being close like that with anyone, sadly including her own boyfriend.

"I know you said that you need some time because of Andy, but Jenny you know that I would never try to make you feel uncomfortable like that. I love you and you can trust me."

"I know I can, I'm sorry I don't know what's come over me. I guess you just took me by surprise, that's all. I know, I do trust you and I know you love me."

Jenny looked at her boyfriend. She looked in those gorgeous brown eyes and smiled. She wondered how she had gotten so lucky. They had been together since they were sophomores. Here it was, their senior year and they were happier than ever. Even with the school year coming to an end, they weren't worried because they know they were going to be together forever.

"Okay, I'll spend the night with you" Jenny smiled, a little shaky in her voice but was still sure what she wanted to do.

"Really? I mean, if you still need more time, I would understand. I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have tried to jump down your throat like that." Marco said.

"No, no you didn't." Jenny interrupted. "Like I said Marco, I know you love me and I trust you." Jenny smiled and kissed her boyfriend.

After going back to the apartment so Jenny could grab some things, they walked down until they had made it to Marco's place. They walked inside and found that they were alone. Marco's father and siblings had gone to visit other relatives and would not be back till the next night.

They made their way upstairs. Marco turned to face Jenny and noticed the nervous look on her face.

"You okay babe?" Marco said, concerned.

"Yes I think so." Jenny stuttered. But the thing was, she really wasn't sure if she was okay. She looked in front of her and knew it was her boyfriend, the one she truly loved and who she knew would take care of her. But inside her mind, she saw Andy, trying to somehow get inside of her and take all he could from her.

Marco took Jenny's hand gently. "Hey, it's only me, Andy is not here. I promise you, he will never come between us again. You have nothing to worry about."

Jenny smiled and took a step forward to be embraced in Marco's arms for a little while. Just the touch of his arms around her made her feel safe and secure. Jenny looked up and smiled at Marco, the love of her life.

"I love you so much. Nothing is going to change that, not Andy or anyone else. Andy may have taken advantage of me but he didn't damage me permanently. You are the only person I'll ever want to be with." Jenny almost had tears in her eyes reciting those words to her boyfriend.

"I love you too Jenny. And I always will"


	2. Chapter 2

**Please don't compare me**

A couple of hours had passed and Marco and Jenny had just been sitting on the couch watching TV. Jenny was okay for the most part, she was trying to calm down. She knew that is was just her boyfriend. Why couldn't she get past this? Marco looked down at her, she was curled right beside him, trying to put a brave face on and he knew that. He was just worried about her and wondered if there was anything he could do for her.

"Look Jenny" Marco said softly as he turned around to face her. "The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, I love you. I just want to know if you are somehow trying to compare me to Andy and that is what's making you nervous."

Jenny's eyes were about to tear up. She didn't want to put Marco in this position, not the one that she loved, it wasn't fair to him.

"I'm so sorry Marco! You don't need this and I'm just making it worse for you. I think I may just go." As jenny started to get up, Marco grabbed her arm. Jenny looked down and there it was, the vision of Andy grabbing her arm and throwing her back down on the couch in that trailer.

Jenny quickly pulled her arm out of Marco's grip and just stared blankly at him. She didn't want to cry but she felt like she couldn't help it.

"Jenny I….." Marco started to say, but by the time he found the words, Jenny was already up and heading for the door.

"Jen, please just talk to me!" Marco was desperate; he couldn't stand to see the girl he loved with all his heart in such pain.

"I can't Marco!" Jenny shouted. "You don't understand, I'm just fragile right now, I can't explain it but I don't know if I'm ever going to be okay again."

"Yes you will. I'll help you, you just have to let me in that's all" Marco interrupted, desperate to calm her down.

"I know and I love you for it but I just can't…" Jenny couldn't and she wouldn't do it, she wouldn't put the man she loved through her own pain.

"Andy may not have physically attacked me at that moment but I know that if I had stayed, he would have done something. And I also know that it's my own damn fault. You warned me not to go see him and I did it anyway! God, I'm so stupid!" Jenny threw herself onto the chair, crying harder than ever.

Marco got up and moved over to where Jenny sat. He put his arm around her and just sat there in silence, letting her get all her tears out before he spoke.

"Jenny, we have already been through this, its okay. You made a mistake; nobody is perfect…except you are to me." Marco smiled.

Somehow this forced Jenny to look up and smile back a little. She looked back down and realized that Marco fingers were laced through hers.

"Seriously Marco, how can you still love me? I went behind your back." Jenny could feel herself about to cry again.

"I told you, you made a mistake. We all make them. We would make for a pretty boring couple if we didn't make mistakes once or twice right?" Marco joked, hoping to cheer Jenny up a little.

This helped Jenny to smile a little more. She looked at her boyfriend and couldn't understand how she got so lucky. Here she was, struggling to figure out who she is and making tons of mistakes along the way. She had no idea that the very first day she would walk into PA, she would end up meeting the guy of her dreams, a guy that is so accepting of her that it almost makes everything unreal.

Jenny smiled and leaned in to kiss her boyfriend. It seemed like there was no need for words at that moment. She just knew that she just wanted to be with him right then.

The two of them spent the rest of that night on the couch, just in each other's arms, knowing that they both have found the person that they were going to spend forever with.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'll be okay**

Here it was, almost 2 weeks after Jenny spent the night over at Marco's and things were going good. She was okay enough to talk about it, although that was just with Marco, not with other people just yet. She was going to talk about it with the rest of her friends, she just wasn't ready. Marco understood that and respected her wishes.

Weeks later though, things were continuing as normal until students were called to the auditorium for a meeting with the principal. They were not sure what was going on, but they just knew that whenever Principal Simms called for an assembly, it probably meant big trouble.

As the students took their seats, Principal Simms came over to the microphone and began to speak. "Students, since new students will be coming this week to take a tour of the school, we also have invited PA alumni to come and speak to them. This maybe a great opportunity for you all to come a talk to the alum if you maybe need any advice as you finish your year here at PA. It's never too late to get advice from fellow students."

Jenny's stomach dropped. She couldn't handle that, not again. She knew that if Andy saw her again, he would pull something and that her nightmares would become reality. She wanted to leave but no one had gotten up yet so she couldn't. Turning around to look at Marco, she felt as if she would start to burst out crying again. Marco looked her straight in the eye and knew that she was dying inside. But this time, he promised himself that he wasn't going to let this happen again. He let it happen once before and look what happened, he let the girl he loved to become completely scared of everything, the way he touched her, looked at her…He wasn't going to let Andy tear his girlfriend up inside anymore. The next time he saw Andy, he was a dead man.

After school, Marco had walked Jenny home. When they were about half way there, he stopped. "Jenny, are you okay baby? I can feel you shaking."

"Yeah I guess, it's just that you know I'll never fully get passed this. It's just difficult."

"I know I'm sorry I wish I could take all that pain away for you." Marco looked disappointed. He just wanted to be a good boyfriend. How could he do that when he didn't know how to comfort the girl he loved.

"Marco, you may not realize this but you have helped me so much." Jenny smiled. This had been the easiest she had smiled in weeks. "As long as I have you, I'll be okay."

Marco took Jenny's hand "You know that I would have never let this happen. If I had actually seen that he pulled something, he would have been a dead man."

"I know that" Jenny laughed a little and gently kissed him. "But you have to promise me something."

"Sure, anything" Marco smiled.

"You have to promise me that when the alumni come to PA next week, you won't do anything to Andy. I know he's an ass and I would be all for that if you didn't have the chance of getting suspended. Please promise me."

"Okay, I promise I won't do anything." Marco smiled and kissed his girlfriend again.

"Good, I will see you tomorrow." They exchanged one more kiss before parting ways.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Broken Promise**

Nights had passed and all Marco could do was think about what could happen when Andy caught that first sight of Jenny. He was such a jackass; he would try anything, even if Marco was standing right there. He just wanted to punch him out so badly, letting him know that he would do anything to protect the girl he loved with all his heart. Then the promise he made to Jenny came into his mind. He promised her that he would stay away from Andy; she didn't want him to get into trouble that would result into huge consequences. The more he thought about it, the more upset he got. He loved her for worrying about him, but he wasn't just going to stand by and let him get away with anything.

The next morning came and Marco woke up not very thrilled. He knew this was the day that the alumni were coming to PA. To be honest, he started to feel a little sick with just the thought of Andy just looking at Jenny. Right then his cell phone rang; he smiled before he even reached for his phone knowing that it was Jenny.

"Hey beautiful!" Marco smiled.

"Hey baby!" Jenny said quickly. "I'm outside when you're ready."

"Okay, I'll meet you out there in five minutes." Marco replied.

"Alright love you!"

"Love you too"

Five minutes later, Marco came out when a smile on his face as he laid eyes on his beautiful girlfriend. He kissed her as the two of them started walking down the street.

A little while later, Jenny noticed a troubling look on her boyfriend's face.

"I know what you're thinking. It's about Andy isn't it?" Jenny said.

Marco looked down at Jenny. "I'm sorry baby, I just can't bear the thought of him touching you, let alone just looking at you." Marco expressed a frustrated look.

"I know and I love you for that but I really need you to keep your promise to me that you won't do anything." Jenny almost sounded desperate.

"I know Jen; I won't do anything to him, it really isn't worth it anyway." Marco replied.

They arrived at school and the alumni had already been there about an hour before. Now it was Marco's turn for his stomach to drop. It wasn't really sure is he could contain himself, it was going to be hard but he made a promise to his girlfriend and he loved her more than anything else.

As the two stepped into the hallway, Jenny broke away for a few minutes to talk to Rosie and Joy and Marco was at his locker. As he looked over his locker; the moment was here. Principle Simms was walking down with some of the alumni and Andy was among this group. Marco could feel his hand turning into a fist. Jenny glanced down the hall and then glanced at him; she knew what he wanted to do.

"Talk to you guys later." She quickly said to the girls and then rushed over to the place where Marco was standing.

"You alright?" Jenny said worried.

"Yeah I'm fine." It sounded like there was anger in Marco's voice. It wasn't at Jenny; it was just because he was looking at Andy coming down the hall and he couldn't help but cringe.

"Let's just go to class okay." Jenny said quietly.

"Yeah, let's go." Marco smiled at his girlfriend to reassure her that everything was alright. This made Jenny feel a little better, although from the look on his face it didn't seem okay.

Marco wrapped his arm around her and the two walked past the group. Jenny was holding her breath, praying that nothing would happen; especially with Principle Simms right there. Marco looked back for a split second and saw that Andy had passed a glance as Jenny was walking by. He could feel his hand, the one that was around Jenny, go into a fist again. Jenny saw this and gently put her hand over his. They finally got to the classroom and sat down. Jenny swung around to Marco and smiled.

"I know that was hard but thank you." Jenny gave a little laugh.

"Geez, Jenny I must really love you because that was awful." Marco laughed a

little also.

"I know and it means a lot that you care about me." Jenny got up from her seat and gently sat on Marco's lap. "But I just don't want to see you in trouble. I mean, what would I do without this face?" Jenny grabbed Marco's face and laughed.

"I know, I know." Marco laughed. "It's just like I said before, I can't stand the thought of that asshole looking at you the way he did."

"We just have to realize that he isn't worth it anymore. We are going to be much better off that way. Besides, you know that I only want a future with you." Jenny kissed her boyfriend.

"I love you babe." Marco smiled

"I love you too."

As class started, Ms. Fran came in and made an announcement.

"Students for class today we are honored to have some of the alumni come in and speak to us." A group of alumni walked in, the same group that was in the hall before. Andy was the last to come in and Marco and Jenny both looked at each other.

All the alumni had the class' attention now and after quite some time, Andy was the last to speak. After the agony of a long speech from him, he ended with this:

"Part of our jobs as actors is to make the audience believe that's really going on. Who knows, maybe some of you will get lucky." With that sentence, he gave a little wink to Jenny. Jenny couldn't even bare the thought of turning around and looking at Marco's face after that.

Ms. Fran let the alumni out and that was the last straw. Marco was about to snap. He asked Ms. Fran if he could step out for a minute and she let him. Jenny looked sick. She knew what would happen in that hallway and she wanted to stop it but she knew Ms. Fran wouldn't let her leave.

Marco flew out the door in a rage. The groups of alumni were still in the hallway, talking with one of the other teachers. As they were about to step out the door, Marco rushed down the hall causing the group to turn around. About twenty seconds later, Andy was on the ground from a punch Marco threw at him. Andy quickly stood up and tried to throw a punch back but missed, then proceeded to shove Marco up against the lockers. Marco freed himself and threw another punch.

A couple of teachers had come to break them up and Principle Simms came in the hall.

"Marco! My office, now!" Principle Simms shouted.

A while later; Marco left Simms office. This is exactly what Jenny didn't want, Marco had been suspended. After he came out into the hall, class had ended for the day. Jenny had come out of Ms. Fran's room and she was not happy.


	5. Chapter 5

"**I can't compete"**

"Marco, I can't believe you. I told you to let it go!" Jenny went stomping down the street so fast that Marco could barely keep up with her.

"Jenny I'm sorry, I just can't stand that creep and you know that!" Marco yelled.

"Yes I know that, and now the whole school knows it to thanks to your display in the hallway!" Jenny yelled as she turned around to face Marco.

"Please, you just have to hear me out….." Marco started to say but was quickly interrupted.

"No not this time! Listen I know you hate Andy okay? So do I. I was the one in that trailer for God sake! But you shouldn't let him affect us anymore. We're back together and we're happy."

"I know you're right, but there's just something about the way he can act like a player and get away with it. I just don't want to compete with that. I'm not as successful as him either. I'm not sure if I ever will be." Marco said with a hurt look on his face as he sat on the front step and looked at Jenny. She walked over to sit next to him.

"Baby, you don't have to compete with anything. I didn't fall in love with how much success you have. I fell in love with a sweet, caring guy who loves me for me." Jenny smiled as she linked arms with her boyfriend. "Believe me, you are a hundred times the man Andy will ever be."

"I guess, but it's not just that. It's about the whole incident with you. I should have been there to protect you. If I had just done something…." Marco was interrupted by Jenny again.

"How could you have known, I kept it all from you. That was my own fault. I didn't realize what he was going to pull but the important thing is, I left when I should have." Marco then looked at Jenny and gave a smile.

"Yeah I guess you're right, you and I are together again and that's all that matters." He turned to Jenny and kissed her. When Jenny broke the kiss, she gave a smile but then quickly changed that with a face drop.

"But we still have a problem, no you're suspended. So what are we going to do?" Jenny asked.

"Now, I go home to tell my parents…..God help me." Marco could feel his stomach turn at the idea of telling his parents what had happened.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Jenny asked, hoping Marco would say yes.

"No babe, I don't want you to have to deal with all that shit."

"Alright, well text me and tell me what happened."

"Okay, I will."

A couple hours later, Jenny got a text from Marco and got extremely upset. Marco was not allowed to see her for a month.


	6. Chapter 6

**Not the one for him**

Jenny sat there, looking at her phone for the longest time. A month? Really? Probably to most people that doesn't seem like a long time but to a couple who are so in love, it feels like an eternity.

Jenny came out of her room and into the kitchen where her father was sitting at the table. "You okay sweetheart?" Her father asked, looking up from his newspaper.

"No. Marco got into a fight today. He got suspended and now his parents are keeping us apart for a month." Jenny sat down on the chair next to her father, shaking with anger.

"A month? Now I know he started a fight but that seems a little harsh." Mr. Garrison said surprised at the news.

"Tell that to his parents." Jenny almost screamed.

"Alright hunnie; calm down. I'll go talk to his parents in the morning. Maybe we can settle something." Mr. Garrison said in attempt to calm his daughter.

"Thanks dad" Jenny smiled and kissed her father's cheek.

The next morning, Mr. Garrison kept his promise to Jenny and went to go talk to Marco's parents. He knocked on the door and Marco was the one who answered it.

"Mr. Garrison?" Marco said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Marco, just came to talk to your parents. Are they home?"

"Yeah, come on in." Mr. Garrison stepped inside and he and Marco turned to face each other.

"Listen, I'm so sorry about the fight. I know it was stupid of me. I just had all this anger and didn't know where to put it. I hope you don't hate me for all of this." Marco hesitated to say as he looked up at Mr. Garrison waiting for a response.

"Don't worry about it. To be honest Marco, I'm just happy Jenny wasn't in harm's way." Mr. Garrison smiled.

"No, no she wasn't." Marco said quickly. "Just know that I love your daughter very much and I would do anything to protect her."

"I know you would. You're a good man Marco. And if anyone is taking care of my daughter, I'm glad it's you." Mr. Garrison reached out his hand and Marco returned the handshake.

Just then, Marco's parents came in to the front of the restaurant where Marco and Mr. Garrison were standing.

"Bobby, what are you doing here?" Mr. Bamonte asked sternly.

"I just came to talk about this whole situation." Mr. Garrison said in defense.

"Marco, go upstairs." Mrs. Bamonte said quickly. Marco exchanged one more look with Mr. Garrison before heading upstairs like he was told.

The Bamonte's and Mr. Garrison walked to a table where all three sat down in a little hesitation.

"As both of you know," Mr. Garrison started. "Even though Mrs. Garrison and I are not together, we both accepted Marco right away. We love how much he loves Jenny and how he is willing to do anything for her. He has become a part of our family. And so have the rest of you. I know that Marco was the one who had started the fight today and I'm not condoning what he did, but I think not letting Marco and Jenny see each other for a month is a little harsh." Mr. Garrison said, hoping maybe this conversation would start out in his favor.

"Bobby, we appreciate that you've been so accepting of all of us and we also fell in love with Jenny right away. You have an amazing daughter, but to be honest with you I think that these two are spending too much time on a high school romance and today it was just taken too far." Mr. Bamonte explained.

Marco was listening at the top of the stairs and he was shocked at what had just come out of his father's mouth. How could they be so accepting of their relationship at the beginning and now all of the sudden their supposedly spending too much time on just a high school romance? This was more than just a high school romance to them, this was real love.

"But in Marco's defense, I think this is more than just a high school romance." Marco smiled, knowing that Mr. Garrison was really on his side.

"Even though it wasn't in the best way, Marco showed that he would do anything to protect Jenny. I think he felt guilty about not having done anything about the whole Andy situation. He just wanted to finally do something about it."

"But fighting with someone else is not the way to prove how much you love someone. Marco could have handled this much better and Jenny was a huge cause of what happened today." Mrs. Bamonte said in anger.

Marco was about to run down the stairs and scream. He couldn't believe what was just said.

"Excuse me, are you blaming my daughter?" Mr. Garrison said angrily. He stood up in a rage.

"Honestly, yes for some of it." Mr. Bamonte said standing up after Mr. Garrison.

"She wasn't even there in the hall when the fight happened!" Mr. Garrison snapped. He had had enough of this. He wasn't going to stand there and let the Bamonte's blame his daughter. "How dare you, you will not blame Jenny for this. Marco was just protecting her. I think it's wonderful that your son loves her that much; although now I have no idea where he got that from; certainly not from you two!" Marco couldn't help but laugh a little at that comment.

"Bobby, I just think letting Marco and Jenny see each other is a bad idea, I don't think that she is going to be the one for him, I really don't." Marco stood up; I didn't want to believe that this conversation was going to turn out this way. He couldn't stand not seeing Jenny ever again.

"Well I just hope that one day you'll see the mistake you made by saying that." That was all Mr. Garrison had to say before turning and walking out the door.

Marco's parents turned and noticed Marco was standing at the top of the stairs. You could tell he was angry by the way he held onto the railing so tightly that you could see the veins popping out of his hand and arm.

"How could you say that dad? Jenny had no part of this! And now all of the sudden you blame her for every decision I make. Well I'll tell you something, I'm proud of the decisions I've made, because I made those decisions for her and for us! And neither of you can tear us apart, not now and not ever!" Marco ran down the stairs, slamming the door behind him and he left the house.

"Marco, come back here now!" Mr. Bamonte screamed out the door. But it was no use; Marco was already too far down the street.


	7. Chapter 7

**They Can't Stop Us**

"Jenny, I'm sorry. I tried my best." Mr. Garrison desperately said in attempt to calm his daughter down. Jenny was furious with what her father had told her after he got back from the Bamonte's.

"Why the hell would they all of the sudden blame me! I was nowhere in the hall when the fight started. Is it because they know I made the mistake of seeing Andy after Marco warned me not to?" Jenny asked spastically.

"What they told me was, they were worried that you and Marco were spending a little too much time on a high school romance and it was getting in the way for both of you." Mr. Garrison almost hesitated to say these words to Jenny because he didn't want to see her explode.

"We've been together since sophomore year! Now all of the sudden, they think every decision we make is wrong? What the hell!" Jenny screamed.

"I don't know hunnie; I just think it maybe best to stay clear of Marco for a while like they want." Mr. Garrison looked at Jenny, who was about to go into tears.

"What? Daddy, please tell me you are not starting to think the same way?" Jenny pleaded.

"Actually no, Marco was the one who had answered the door when I got there. He and I had a talk. I told him that if anyone was taking care of my daughter, I'm glad it's him. Now, the way he handled things may not have been in the best way but I'm glad he would do anything to protect you." Mr. Garrison gave a little smile before going on. "I understand that this isn't fair, but the sooner you agree to what the Bamonte's want, the sooner we can get this all over with and we can move on." Mr. Garrison got up and swallowed Jenny in a hug.

Just then, there was a pounding at the door. Jenny opened it and to her surprise, Marco was standing in the doorway.

"Marco? Babe what are you doing here?" Jenny said with a sudden panic in her voice. She would bet anything that his parents knew he was there and this would cause even more trouble.

"I had to see you, my parents are being ridiculous." Marco said furious.

Mr. Garrison came around the corner. "Marco, I really don't think it's a good idea that you're here right now. Your parents are going to be furious."

"I don't care; they can't stop me from being with Jenny. They need to let me grow up. I started the fight and I take full responsibility for that. But to blame Jenny for it is where I draw the line with them." Marco stood by this statement and he wasn't letting up.

"Alright alright, I think that we at least need to call your parents and tell them you're okay. We can talk this out later. If you need some time, take all the time you need okay?" Mr. Garrison was not going to argue. He knew that Marco was not going to back down so there was no point.

"Thank you Mr. Garrison, I appreciate it. I really do." Marco breathed a little sigh of relief.

"Thank you daddy." Jenny also breathed a sigh and smiled at her father.

Marco and Jenny went into the living room and Mr. Garrison went to the kitchen to make the phone call to the Bamonte's.

A little later, Mr. Garrison came into the living room where he found Jenny curled up next to Marco with Marco's arm around her.

"I just got off the phone with your parents Marco, they're glad you're alright but upset you ran off. I know this is what you probably don't want to hear, but they're on there way over here now." Mr. Garrison finished what he had to say and just looked at his daughter and her boyfriend on the couch. Marco was shaking with anger and Jenny was just in a panic.

"Well fine…" Jenny finally spoke up. "They want to come and scream at me, let them! I'm not going to let them blame me for something I was not a part of or for loving their son!" Jenny went into a rage.

"Alright baby, calm down." Marco said as he stood up with Jenny.

"No, I'm not gonna calm down! We are adults and we need to make our own decisions without our families over our shoulders all the damn time!" Jenny screamed.

"I understand that you're upset sweetheart, but there really isn't anything you can do. Marco leaves with his parents and as long as he lives under their roof, he goes by their rules." Mr. Garrison didn't want to admit it, but he knew that he lost this battle. "We're just gonna have to play by the rules until this all blows over."

"Actually no, there is something we can do." Jenny said turning to her boyfriend. "You and I are both over eighteen; we can get our own place together." Jenny said smiling. But Marco and Mr. Garrison were just in utter shock.

"Baby, I really don't know if that's a good idea, I…." Marco started, but as soon as he started to speak further, the Bamonte's came from around the corner. "Go ahead Marco," Mr. Bamonte said with a stern face. "I definitely want to hear your response to this."


	8. Chapter 8

**We know what real love is**

Marco stood there frozen; he couldn't believe the situation he was in. His parents just stared blankly at him, waiting for his answer to pop out of his mouth.

"Well son, we're waiting." Mr. Bamonte said with a stern face. Marco still stood there is silence, staring back and forth between his girlfriend and his parents.

"Well…."Marco started to say, but Jenny intruded to finish his thought for him.

"Come on babe, we can get our own place and then we don't have to deal with this shit anymore." Jenny whispered close to him. But apparently, it wasn't close enough.

"Jenny, I was talking to my son. You should keep your mouth shut, you're part of the reason we're in this horrible situation anyway." Mr. Bamonte practically shouted.

Mr. Garrison stood up quickly "DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT!" He screamed.

"Oh come on Bobby, its true." Mrs. Bamonte said, coming to her husband's defense.

Marco was about to snap himself. You could feel himself going red with anger.

"Now son, let's make the smart decision and go home now." Mrs. Bamonte tried to say calmly.

"Hell no!" Marco finally said.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Bamonte was taken aback by the way her son just spoke to her.

"You heard me mom. Look, I love you both but I am twenty years old. You can't tell me which direction to go in. I have to find it on my own." Marco turned to look at Jenny. "You guys also can't tell me what real love is either. I found that when I was fifteen and I'm never letting go of it." Marco smiled and kissed his girlfriend.

"Marco, you are making a huge mistake. You both cannot make it by yourselves. You can't survive on love you know?" Mr. Bamonte said furious.

"Dad its fine, I'm working on getting signed with the record company and I think it's going to happen in the next couple of months or so, we'll be taken care of." Marco said, trying to plead with his dad.

"You THINK you can? It is harsh out there Marco, you just think that money is going to magically fall into your lap? You are not going to be set over night!" Mrs. Bamonte shouted, just as equally upset as her husband.

"We understand that Mrs. Bamonte." Jenny finally said. "Marco is not going to be the only one carrying the weight, we can make this work."

"Bobby, would you do something?" Mr. Bamonte said looking over at Jenny's father.

"Sure I will….I'm going to take them apartment hunting tomorrow." Mr. Garrison said smiling at Marco and Jenny.

"WHAT!" Mr. and Mrs. Bamonte said together.

"Oh come on, they are both adults. They can't stay with the comfort of their parents forever." Mr. Garrison calmly said. "I mean, I don't want to lose my little girl either, but I know I'm gonna have to let her go out there someday, why not let that time be now?"

The Bamonte's just stood there in shock, not wanting to believe that they were going to lose this battle. They stared at Marco, their little boy. The one who they have watched grow up and now realizing that he is a man now. They can't make all of his decisions for him and they have to start with this one.

"I guess you're right sweetie." Mrs. Bamonte said as she started to tear up. "We can't make your life decisions for you. Your dad and I raised you to eventually go off on your own and I guess now is the time for that."

"Your mom is right." Mr. Bamonte agreed. "We also raised you to be a good man. And I think seeing Jenny so happy, that is exactly what you proved that you are. You're our son; we don't ever want you to be in pain."

"Thank you." Marco smiled.

"And Jenny, we are so sorry. We really do love you like you're our own daughter. We just were afraid of the idea of losing Marco and we shouldn't have blamed you." Mrs. Bamonte said apologetically.

"It's okay, you know that I love your son with all my heart and I will be good to him." Jenny smiled back at the Bamonte's.

"We know that. Bobby, you have raised a wonderful daughter and we are sorry for the situation we have put you in also." Mr. Bamonte said as he shook hands with Mr. Garrison.

"Thank you. Truth is, I didn't want to see them torn apart I guess. I made that mistake with Jenny's mom and I really wish I hadn't let her get away from me. I didn't want to see Marco make the same mistake I did by letting Jenny get away from him." Mr. Garrison said smiling. "But you know Marco, your parents are right. This isn't gonna be easy. And I'm trusting you with my daughter." Mr. Garrison said looking Marco straight in the eye so he understood what he meant.

"I understand Mr. Garrison, and I will take good care of her, I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

**My Life is with You**

6 months later: Marco and Jenny were as happy as they could be. They lived in a beautiful apartment, far enough away that they felt like they were on their own, but just close enough to their parents so that they could see them whenever they wanted to. And they were doing well for themselves. Marco ended up getting signed by a record company and he was working hard on his first solo album. Jenny was getting involved in Community Theater and she was also a model for a few popular magazines.

"Baby, I'm gonna be a little later tonight. I have to pick something up on my way home." Marco said as he kissed Jenny. "Okay, what is it?" Jenny asked curious.

"Can't tell you now, you'll just have to wait and see." Marco smirked. Jenny sighed. "Oh come on, just a hint." She laughed as she put her arms around Marco's neck.

"Nope, gotta go. Love you" Marco smiled as he raced out the door.

Marco was out of the studio about six o'clock that night. His next stop led him into the parking lot of one of the most popular jewelry stores in New York. He stepped in and went to the front of the displays.

"Mr. Bamonte, we have been expecting you. The ring you were requesting is ready." A sales person said cheerfully as Marco approached. Marco smiled "Perfect! Thank you" The sales person went to the back to get the ring and came back a couple minutes later carrying a black velvet box.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate everything." Marco shook hands with the sales person.

"You are so welcome, good luck and I hope she loves it."

Meanwhile back at the apartment, Jenny had been pacing the house all day, wondering what Marco could possibly be picking up and why he was so anxious to do so.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. When Jenny opened it, Joy had popped in.

"Hey Jen, what's up? Hey, why don't we get a little shopping in today?" Joy said anxiously. Little did Jenny know, Marco had asked Joy earlier in the day to pick Jenny up and get her out of the house so that he could get the place ready.

"Sure, I could go for some shopping. Marco's not home anyway." Jenny smiled.

"Great!" Joy said excited.

About 2 hours later, the girls came back. Jenny said her goodbye to Joy and unlocked the door. She walked in to find candles and roses everywhere.

"Marco? What's going on?" Jenny said with a little nervous laugh. Just then Marco came out looking just as handsome as ever.

"Babe, what are you doing?" Jenny said, practically lost with what was going on.

"I need to ask you something, but first come sit on the couch." He took Jenny's hand and led her to the living room and sat next to her.

"Baby, I love you so much and you mean everything to me. When I came to PA four years ago, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen in the future. I never realized that I would end up meeting the girl of my dreams. I found my soul mate when I was fifteen and it's just been amazing ever since. I know in my heart I want to spend my life with you. I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend. So with all that being said…" Marco pulled out the black velvet box from his jacket pocket. Jenny went wide-eyed. She couldn't believe that this was happening.

"Jenny, will you marry me?" Marco choked out as tears started to come out of his eyes. Jenny sat there in tears. They were coming out so fast; she could not catch her breath.

After a little bit of silence, Jenny finally choked out. "Yes, of course I will!"

Marco took the ring out and slipped in on Jenny's finger with the biggest smile on his face. Jenny buried her face in her hands, still in shock. She finally threw herself in Marco's arms. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too Jen." Marco could feel himself start to cry again.


End file.
